I came late to the Field Mice. I think it was in 1998 when Bernard Lenoir played Sensitive (probably for the tenth time or so) and I listened to France Inter on the long waves on 160 KHz in our old apartment in Gravenbruch. The reception was bad. A lot of hiss and noise. Which just went well with this addictive noisy pop gem. Which has only one major default preventing it from being my fave song of all time. It stops abruptly in the middle of the drone. Which breaks my heart every time I listen to it. It should bloody go on forever.

At the time I didn't know that the band had been history for seven years already. A couple of months after their retrospective double CD <a Where'd You Learn to Kiss that Way with 36 of their 45-50 songs was released. I bought it instantly. It is out of print now and catches up to 150 US-$ on ebay. And it is worth all those bucks. Because it is the best compilation in the world. Of one of the most underrated bands ever. The Field Mice were on the Bristol label Sarah standing for twee indie pop. I don't like that term and most of the Field Mice members neither. But it is not totally off the mark. Their music is mainly jangly guitar pop (but not only, there is a strong New Order influence) with heavenly hooks.

Robert Wratten their lead singer (now Trembling Blue Stars) writes amazingly frank and pure lyrics on love stories not working out and all those heartbreaking things. Think Morrissey without the irony. Here is their last concert at The Dome in London, November 21, 1991. I like the end of the review in the Melody Maker:

More links:

• Yahoo! Groups : fieldmice (discussion group)
• The Field Mice: Cl*ss*c Or D*d (I Love Music thread)
• Field Mice Biography
• The Field Mice on TweeNet
• The Field Mice (all Sarah releases)
• The Field Mice - Sensitive (Lyrics and tabs)
• sarah (Lyrics to 12 Field Mice songs)
• bull3-0: "Field Mice- 'Other Galaxies'" (long obscure song)

P.S. It isn't forever is another phantastic shoegazer song before shoegazing started. I think that the Field Mice were more innovatvie and had more potential than My Bloody Valentine.